9/30/2018

It’s been a quiet weekend here at The Manse with the most exciting activity being the removal of the air conditioners from the windows. It may seem a little late in the season to be removing the air conditioners, at least here in northern New England, but it has been a warmer than average September so A/C was used until just this past week. And in typical New Hampshire contrariness, some mornings required use of heat to take the chill off as nighttime temps were in the 40’s and afternoon temps were in the high 80’s with high humidity.

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The farce that was the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford has been dominating the news, with the Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein having thrown a last minute monkey wrench into the hearings, revealing Dr. Ford’s accusations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh that she’d been sitting on since the beginning of summer.

Was Dr. Ford assaulted some time back in the early 80’s? No one really knows. Claims that a polygraph test proves the veracity of her rather vague recollections of the assault have a couple of major problems – she was asked only two questions by the examiner and, being a psychologist, she knows how to ‘beat the test’.

Then there’s this:

Dr. Ford’s words say one thing, but her body language says just the opposite. I am no expert when it comes to body language but I noticed something that many others also commented upon in regards to her testimony, that being her “odd baby talk”, trying to garner sympathy from those at the hearing.

The creators of the popular card game Cards Against Humanity have launched a targeted campaign to elect Democrats in six swing districts. An election lawyer suggested they might want to lawyer up, because it's illegal under federal law to bribe someone to vote a certain way.

If they were truly smart they would take a lesson from Chicago politics and find ways to register the dead and have them vote for the Democrats of their choice. But no, they went stupid and tried to openly buy votes instead.

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Think things have been crazy enough in regards to the Kavanaugh hearings and the now increasingly Salem Witch Trial-like #MeToo movement? You aren’t even close.

Eighth grader Keith Bailey was not only suspended but literally hauled off by the police in handcuffs from his Colorado Springs middle school as a result of phony #MeToo allegations made for the same reason as with Kavanaugh — he was deemed to be politically incorrect.

It started when Keith changed his Snapchat avatar to a black Bitmoji character. A female friend proclaimed that was racist and ordered him to change it back. When he laughed off her demand, she spread the word around school that Keith is a racist. Other boys threatened to beat him up.

--snip--

As with Kavanaugh, the allegations have no credibility. For example, two of the girls were friends from a church youth group who continued to be friendly with him after the assaults were alleged to have occurred. But in the #MeToo era, accusations are as good as proof.

9/23/2018

Those temps helped Deb when she participated in a Tough Mudder competition at the local ski resort Saturday morning, keeping her cool during some of the more strenuous portions of the course. This was her first Tough Mudder and she certainly enjoyed it.

If you had told her two years ago that she would compete in something like the Tough Mudder, she would have looked at you as if you were insane.

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While this video shows a speech made by comedian/actor Rowan Atkinson about 6 years ago, it is still timely as it covers a very important freedom that is increasingly under attack, both here and in the UK, that being the freedom of speech.

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Watching the news on the usual suspects (ABC, CBS, NBC, MSLSD, CNN, etc), one would think that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is only days away from being indicted/convicted/sentenced for a sexual assault that is increasingly appearing to be only in the mind of his accuser. That this alleged assault took place over 36 years ago in a place she cannot name on a date she cannot remember and her ‘witnesses’ keep telling everyone they have no idea what she’s talking about hasn’t fazed the Democrats, hoping this would torpedo Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

That the alleged victim is trying to dictate the terms under which she will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee does not bode well…for her. She wanted Kavanaugh to testify first, but that is bass-ackwards as the accused usually testifies after their accuser has given their testimony.

It doesn’t help that Senator Maizy Hirono (D-HI) seems perfectly fine with the idea of “accusation equals guilt” and has the attitude that men should shut up and that women always should be believed when it comes to sexual assault. So much for the legal concept “Innocent until proven guilty.” Then again a lot of Democrats seem comfortable with the old “J’Accuse” form of legal system.

As the old saying goes “Be careful what you wish for. You might get it.” Think the Reign of Terror as the best outcome for these folks if they get their way. They are already reaping the ‘benefits’ of past actions that have backfired on them, like former Senator Harry Reid’s elimination of the filibuster in the Senate. That has certainly come back to bite them.

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A sure indicator that the dual standard legal system exists: Brett Kavanaugh is accused of an assault that took place 36 years ago and the Democrats believe it without question even though there is no evidence whatsoever. But Keith Ellison is accused of beating a woman (and not for the first time), the accuser has the evidence and medical records to prove she was beaten by Ellison, and Democrats do not believe her.

Welcome to the world of selective justice.

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People keep asking why natural gas is so expensive here in New England and the answer is quite simple – lack of pipeline capacity. While it is a problem that is simple to solve – build more pipelines - many of those same people who complain about natural gas prices (particularly during winter) are the very same people who work against the construction of new gas pipelines into New England. They honestly do not (or cannot) make the connection between pipeline capacity and natural gas prices.

When the demand for natural gas is highest - generally late December, January, and February – the existing pipeline cannot handle the demand. Natural gas has to be imported from Yemen and we pay a premium for that gas. It’s ironic that the US has the largest natural gas reserves in the world and New England has to import it from the Middle East.

It doesn’t help that the Holier-Than-Thou Governor Cuomo of New York has already stated that no new pipelines will be built in or across his state because he endorses renewable energy even though it costs are much higher than traditional electrical sources and is actively working to kill off traditional generation technologies. That means that unless the pipeline comes in from Canada we won’t be seeing cheap domestic natural gas any time soon.

Another “doesn’t help” problem is those against bringing cheap hydroelectric power in from Quebec. It’s a huge renewable source of electricity, but people don’t like the idea of powerlines coming down from Canada even if they will be buried and won’t despoil northern New Hampshire’s pristine views. Like those who complain about high natural gas prices, the folks most against the hydropower lines are the same folks who complain about high electricity prices. They also can’t seem to connect the dots when it comes to limiting supply affecting electricity prices.

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The New England Patriots are playing the Detroit Lions in Detroit. It’s Bill Belichick against former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. It will be an interesting game.

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Today’s left lacks worthy menaces to fight. It is driven to find a replacement for racism, some sweeping historical wrongdoing that morally empowers those who oppose it. (Climate change?) Failing this, only hatred is left.

Hatred is a transformative power. It can make the innocuous into the menacing. So it has become a weapon of choice. The left has used hate to transform President Trump into a symbol of the new racism, not a flawed president but a systemic evil. And he must be opposed as one opposes racism, with a scorched-earth absolutism.

This is the reason why things that no one (but them) find some things so offensive now, they have to be angry and hateful on behalf of people who really don’t care. It would be sad if it wasn’t also so destructive.

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And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where fall boating is in swing, the leaves have not yet begun to change, and preparations for winter have begun.

9/16/2018

The last real weekend of summer winds to a close and it is going out with July-like weather with temps in the 80’s, humid, and a lot of sun. We managed to make it out on the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout late this afternoon after most of the weekenders were off the lake. While it was only a one hour jaunt, it was enough for us to feel refreshed. Tomorrow will be a similar day weather wise, so I’m hoping to make it out on the lake again after work.

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I find the timing of the release of the letter accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault back when he was a teen a little too convenient. First, it was an anonymous accuser which lends no credence to the allegations. Then, when the accuser’s identity is finally revealed it turns out to be liberal professor.

Teen indiscretions are usually the result of immaturity and poor decision making (a characteristic of adolescents). But that is supposed to condemn any teen making that kind of mistake for the rest of their lives? If so, there are plenty of people on the Democrat side of Congress who should be kicked out for far worse behavior.

One would think that anyone who continued to commit such acts after their teens would already be in jail or fit for no other work than something menial. But since there have been absolutely no reports from anyone anywhere that Kavanaugh has done anything like this since this incident (assuming it’s true), does it disqualify him from being confirmed? If the answer is yes, does that mean we need to dig deeper into a nominee’s history to see if he or she ever stole candy from a store when they were 4 years old?

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So these self-righeous Progressive vigilantes are going to try to pick on those that are amongst the most prickly of citizens that are willing protect their Constitutional Rights? Have they really thought this through? They seem to think this is going to be easy-peazy: just saunter up to someone that’s open carrying, rank out their firearm with the carrier just willing to stand there, then stand there some more while the nitwit fumbles with the phone to get a good picture, then stand there as the perp (for that is what they are now – stealing private property but oh, never mind about that pesky Right to Private Property stuff – evil and greedy Capitalist anyways. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!) walks to the nearest garbage can, and then quietly allow them to walk away.

That is more likely to get them ventilated with one or more well placed rounds. Of course they think that only they will be the ones taking any action. Try to take someone’s legally owned and carried firearm from them and you are likely to be met with force, most lilely lethal force.

9/09/2018

It has gone from summer to mid-fall weatherwise in just a couple of days, with temps falling from highs in the upper 80’s/lower 90’s to the mid 60’s. Nighttime temps have been in the upper 30’s and lower 40’s, making for chilly nights. However we’ll be back in the 80’s after we go through soaking rain that is the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon.

It has been quiet around the lakes as the summer season has ended. Many seasonal businesses have already closed their doors, though a few will remain open until Columbus Day weekend to cater to the leaf peepers – tourists visiting to look at the fall foliage.

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Listening to the campaign ads for those running for a number of state and federal offices, they separate out into two distinct groups – those focusing on issues that most of the people in New Hampshire find important, and those who detest Donald Trump with a passion and ignore what is important to people here.

One gubernatorial candidate has lambasted the incumbent governor for vetoing two renewable energy bills that would have forced consumers in the state to pay much higher electric rates in a state that already has electric rates that are 50% higher than the rest of the nation. She decries giving breaks to the existing utilities but wants to subsidize other utilities that cannot make it without state mandates, citing the loss of jobs if it doesn’t happen. But she ignores the loss of jobs or stagnating job growth because companies and corporations will not expand into New Hampshire because of the obscenely high energy costs. It will be a short term gain that will lead to a long term loss.

Then there’s one of the Democrat congressional candidates who is basing her entire campaign on fighting Donald Trump, seriously weakening everyone’s Second Amendment rights and destroying the NRA. This in a state with very strong Second Amendment support, including constitutional carry, the lowest crime rate in the nation, and rated the safest state in the country. Yet she sees mass murder and showdowns at high noon around every corner if we don’t disarm law abiding citizens. It doesn’t help that she’s also a carpetbagger, having moved into New Hampshire just long enough to establish residency so she could run for office. She has been living in Washington DC for years, was part of the Obama Administration, and originally hails from Illinois. But she figures she can fool “the rubes” into voting her into office so she can keep pushing the Progressive agenda.

We only have a couple of more days to listen to this, and I’m hoping we won’t have to listen to it after this Tuesday.

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While no one has looked closely as this as a possible cause up to this point, it looks like some research will now be pointed towards investigating the possibility. If it turns out it is caused by an infection or series of infections, then treatment or preventative vaccines may become a reality.

As Glenn Reynolds often says, “Faster, please.”

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I guess the Left has figured that if they can’t convince GOP senators to vote against the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court through reason and logic (yeah, right), then they’ll use insults instead.

Yeah, that’s a winning strategy.

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As I have opined more than once, too many people are addicted to the use of their cell phones. I have called it “electronic fentanyl” more than once, seeing people’s reaction when they are deprived use of their phones even for brief periods. They start jonesing for a fix.

It’s now being recognized as an addiction, at least according to this article from Proceedings Magazine posted by the U.S. Naval Institute.

The first cell phone hit the market in 1973, and 40 years later, more than half the U.S. adult population was carrying a cell phone in their purses or pockets. Today, that number is closer to 95 percent, with 77 percent of Americans owning a smartphone. But does this technology work as it originally was intended—to enable us to communicate better? Or is the increase in personal technology a sign of mass addiction?

I believe it’s both, though at times I have to wonder that even though it helps us communicate more, it does not necessarily help us communicate better.

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Probably the biggest factor to overcome is the irrational fear of nuclear power that was instilled by anti-nuclear wackos decades ago.

With the newer technologies and the move away from One Big Plant to A Few Small Plants on the same site, safety, reliability, and a means to reduce or eliminate high-level nuclear wastes as well as zero-carbon energy, nuclear looks much better to me than all of the wind/solar renewables put together.

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Is it any wonder that an increasing number of 18-29 year olds in California are getting ready to leave? They show a high dissatisfaction with the conditions in the Pyrite State, between sky high housing prices that put home ownership out of reach, high taxes, ridiculous and mind-numbing regulations that stifle businesses that induce them to leave.

That California is losing that demographic spells major trouble in the not so distant future. If you lose the group that will be starting families to other states, you will soon have a population that is increasingly aging population even as your total population decreases.

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And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the summerfolk have gone, seasonal businesses have closed their doors, and where fall will be here soon enough.

9/02/2018

The last ‘official’ weekend of summer is upon us and people have been taking advantage of the great weather, getting as much recreating in as possible before Monday comes to a close.

This weekend has also meant a number of people traipsing in and out of The Manse now that it is on the market. That we’ve had as many as we have means either the market is really hot, our realtor is really good, or a combination of both. In either case, all we can do is hope that an offer from someone is forthcoming.

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How many of us have heard the lament “Things were a lot better back when I was a kid/teenager/college student/etc.”? More than a few of us, I’d wager. There were some things here and there that were better, or so our rather foggy memories tell us. But there were also a lot of things that were not. There are also a lot of things that exist today that make things better than they were “back in the old days”.

While I agree with the items on the list, some are far more important that the others, three of them being #3 – Advances in Medical Science, #6 – the Soviet Union is Gone, and #7 – Instant Communications, there is also a downside to some of them. We certainly see the downside of instant communications, between ‘phubbing’ (phone snubbing), cyber-bullying, and the addictive nature of the ability to be in constant communication.

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If we need yet another example of the failures of socialism, try this one on for size:

Early on the morning of August 31st, Maracaibo was lit up, possibly for the last time in a few years, by a chain reaction of substation and transformer fires, even melted power wires in the streets, as the final phase of communist mismanagement of the energy supply morphed into complete disaster. Bonus – the Cubans have been “helping” Venezuela manage its electrical grid since 2010.

Brownouts and blackouts have become increasingly common over the past few years, and now, the locals desperately suck whatever power they can get, whenever they can get it, until the substations, transformers, and wires fail under the peak loads. When a three-phase distribution system goes out of balance due to one phase failing, the voltages and currents on the other two phases increase dramatically…

Rather than admitting they are incompetent, the Powers That Be in Venezuela blame foreign sabotage. However, unwavering belief in socialism does not trump the laws of physics or the law of supply and demand, hence Venezuela’s decaying infrastructure. And once the lights finally go out, Venezuela will look just like North Korea from space – dark from border to border.

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I watched a good portion of John McCain’s memorial service off and on, and found it interesting that political opponents who excoriated him for all kinds of reasons were all of a sudden singing his praises. Where was all of this when he was alive?

The media played up the “He’s a good Republican – he’s dead” angle for all it was worth. Other media did their best to find as much dirt on the man as they could in an effort to tear him down. It’s obvious they never heard the old aphorism about not speaking ill of the dead.

I remember a blog post from some years ago where a commenter called John McCain “a cowardly old man”. The replies to that comment blasted the moron, reminding him of the ordeal McCain was put through while held captive at the Hanoi Hilton. That’s assuming of course the moron even knew about it.

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The Other McCain covers the “Fake New, Real Hate” meme. It paints fake news as new ‘policies’ that the Democrats then use to slam Trump. And when the stories are found to be false, the media cooks up new fake news and the process repeats itself.

Is it any wonder that trust in the media has tanked and is still heading downwards?

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Because it’s the Labor Day holiday weekend, I am cutting this week’s TOAS a bit short. Still have things to attend to for tomorrow’s showings. Hopefully we’ll get a bite on The Manse.

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And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where summerfolk are partaking of last gasp summer activities, the summer businesses are raking in as cash as they can, and where the traffic heading southbound tomorrow afternoon is going to be epic.